Thanks! Here's a better picture which should show how I did it better. (Memo to self, work looks better on a mannequin than on a grubby sheet of kitchen roll . Marketing really isn't my strong point...)

I made the leaves and flowers on stainless steel wire, then coiled the wire. Then made the large hole beads to match. I sewed a length of silk to make a tube, then fed 4 lengths of cotton string down it to make a sturdy support. Then threaded everything on, and attached fastenings made in the same wire.

It's nice because you can position the flowers and leaves as you like, they grip the support quite well.